WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus became Canada’s queen of wrestling from the moment she stepped into the ring in 2000. When she retired in 2006, she was a seven-time WWE Women’s Champion who made it into the pages of history by setting a Guinness World Record for most wins by a female wrestling champ. Nowadays, the 5-foot-4 former ring queen is a fitness icon and entrepreneur with her own lifestyle brand, dubbed Stratusphere, which includes a line of yoga fitness products, wellness teas, and DVDs. She’s also an actress who stars alongside Danny Glover and Dominic Purcell in the upcoming flick, Gridlocked. On screen and on the road, Stratus embodies beauty and brawn – just like her wheels. She drives a 2015 Range Rover Sport SUV.

PG: “Why did you buy a Range Rover?"

TS: “First of all, I’m a mommy so I need the space for babies, the stroller etc. I’ve been in SUVs for the longest time now. I love them. I’ve had the Porsche Cayenne, the Mercedes, and the Cadillac SUVs. I like it. I’m used to it. It makes me feel nice and high. I enjoy the extra space, especially now that I have a family. I have the spacey car and my husband, Ron, has the sedan [a 2016 Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG] so that’s how we make it work.”

PG: Does your Range Rover have the brawn and beauty of a former WWE diva?

TS: “I think it does. Actually, that’s a very good way to put it. Maybe that’s why I chose this car. It’s rugged. It can take a beating and it can go, but it’s still very sleek and classic. And it actually looks very classy as well.”

PG: “Did you ever treat yourself to a car after winning a WWE championship?

TS: “I did. I got a purple Ford Mustang. I also got myself a Rolex watch. I’m not a very showy person. I dress down always. I don’t like jewelry. I don’t like name brands. I don’t wear fancy clothes. I don’t care for that stuff. But for me, my watch was the token I’ll have forever. It’s timeless – no pun intended. I’ll always have it. And my husband has always been a car guy – he’s known for his cars. He has always had nice rides. Before when I was in a cool car it was not mine; it was always Ron’s. So when I could finally get my own car I got the Mustang. Purple is my favorite colour and the Mustang was a pretty good get. It was amazing – it was my baby. Driving my Mustang was pretty cool. It was a sign of my hard work – it was one of those moments – you know you made it when… I also had the new Camaro when the new body style came out as a treat for myself as well. Ron also had a ’66 Camaro – he had it all done up, gorgeous. It was awesome.”

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TS: “It was a Plymouth Horizon with a rusty old hole in the driver’s side door! We bought it for $750 bucks, which is crazy now to think that that was even possible. It was the beginning of me being a responsible adult. It was my own car with my own insurance. I had to get to work myself. It signaled being a responsible adult.”

PG: “Can you drive a stick?”

TS: “Yes. I can. Ron taught me how to drive a stick. He had a Porsche 911 Turbo. I think it’s better to learn on a fancy, luxury sports car because it’s a bit more generous in the give of it all.”

PG: “Wow – that’s a true test of your relationship!”

TS: “He was pretty good. I think I’m a quick learn. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. A couple of times there was that ‘Oh that doesn’t sound good!’ But I picked it up pretty quickly.”

PG: “Have your driving tunes changed since you’ve become a mom?”

TS: “Yes it has. My music has stayed the same. I like everything. It’s a mix of everything from Elvis Presley to Sam Cooke to Missy Elliott – I like all kinds of music, but I really don’t listen to much music.

“I’m either a total mom or I’m boring now, but I listen to 680 News steady – it’s on my radio all of the time. Now, when I get into the car it’s a moment to reflect or its quiet time. 680 News is on in the background and I’m using it to reflect.

“It’s like when I was busy on the road, sometimes traveling 300 days of the year. Some people hate to travel, but for me getting on the plane was a chance to disconnect and internalize, to go inside and have your one-on-one time with you. That’s what my car driving time is now.”

Trish Stratus as Gina in Gridlocked

PG: “What’s your worst driving story ever?”

TS: “We were driving, trying to get to State College, Pennsylvania and there was a terrible, terrible storm. It was about a two-three hour drive, but we were moving onto about six hours at that point because the weather was so treacherous. I was with two other wrestling girls. I’ll never forget because we were singing the Chicago theme song. We were blasting away, singing this jazzy music and a big 18-wheeler drives by really fast and the drift pulled our car and we spun! The back of our car hit his back tire and we were facing the other way! There was no one else around; we were abandoned. But everyone laughed afterwards because I calmly went, ‘It’s okay, girls. We’re okay, girls.’ I was known as the mother hen of the locker room. Then we were like, ‘Holy shit! Did that just happen?’ And then it was ‘Oh shit – this is a rental! What do we do now?’ The whole process afterwards was annoying. It was awful. That was the worst driving accident I’ve ever been in.”

PG: “Have you ever bought or sold a car on autoTRADER?

TS: “I haven’t personally. But over the years, most of Ron’s cars were sold or bought on autoTRADER – his Corvette, a couple of Mustangs, a Lotus Esprit Turbo, and a Porsche 911 Turbo, to name a few.”

Notable achievements: • TV appearances include starring in CBS’s Armed and Famous opposite Jack Osbourne and Erik Estrada and the CBC show The Second City’s Next Comedy Legend • hosted Canada’s Walk of Fame • in 2008, launched her lifestyle brand with a number of projects under the Stratusphere banner, including a travel show produced for Discovery HD and Travel + Escape • her yoga studio, line of yoga fitness products and DVDs reflect her brand’s core philosophy of achieving wellness through balanced living • before entering the ring, Stratus was a pre-med student, majoring in biology and kinesiology at York University with plans to become a doctor; a professor’s strike in 1997 altered those plans • was discovered by publishing mogul, Robert Kennedy, who signed her to an exclusive contract and gave Stratus her first cover • graced the cover of 100 magazines including FLARE, Oxygen, Inside Fitness, Today’s Bride, TV Guide and Toronto Life • made her feature film debut in 2012, starring in the action movie Bounty Hunters • inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2013 • married to her high-school sweetheart; together they have one child

Upcoming: • stars alongside Danny Glover and Dominic Purcell in the feature film, Gridlocked, which is slated for a 2016 release • her line of yoga fitness products, wellness teas, and DVDs including Stratusphere Yoga for Men featuring Joe Carter are available at www.trishstratus.com